Zubeen Garg was posthumously conferred with the Doctor of Literature degree by Cotton University at its fourth convocation.
Garg’s sister, Palme Borthakur, received the honour on his behalf.
Borthakur called it an "emotional moment to receive the award in his absence."
Zubeen Garg, Assam's cultural icon, was posthumously awarded the honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) degree at the 4th Convocation of Cotton University on Tuesday (December 9). The award is to recognise his extraordinary legacy and contribution to music and culture. Garg’s sister, Palme Borthakur, received the honour on his behalf. It was an emotional moment for Garg's family and his fans.
Zubeen Garg posthumously honoured with Doctor of Literature (D.Litt)
According to PTI, Garg's sister accepted the award from Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya. After receiving the award, she shared, "It is an academic honour and the family is very proud of him," adding that it's an "emotional moment to receive the award in his absence."
Borthakur also said that Zubeen helped everyone while he was alive, but in the last three months, they have realised how people took advantage of him. The family is now expecting a strong chargesheet.
"We just want he gets justice. We have faith in the investigation and will know the details of the charge sheet on December 12," she said.
Earlier, Zubeen was conferred with an honorary D.Litt by the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) in August 2024.
Zubeen Garg death
Garg died in Singapore on September 19, 2025, while swimming in the sea. He was 52. The singer was cremated at Kamarkuchi village in Sonapur, Assam, with full state honours on September 23.
Zubeen's demise has left the state in a state of shock and despair. It has been almost three months, still thousands of his fans — irrespective of cast, creed and religion — throng to the cremation ground every day to mourn the loss of the legendary singer.
The Assam Police registered a case under murder charges and arrested several people, including Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma (Zubeen's manager), Sandipan Garg (Zubeen’s cousin), Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, Zubeen's band members.
The government formed an SIT to probe into Garg's death, and the charge sheet will be filed on December 12.
